“We are doing these to sustain our province’s status as one of the cleanest and richest in terms of wealth in our bodies of water and landscapes,” Governor Espino emphasized during the distribution program held at barangay Cayanga, Bugallon on September 7.

A continuing program of the provincial leadership, Governor Espino said the tilapia fingerlings dispersal and tree seedlings distribution support the food production program of the provincial government.

Urging Pangasinenses to take care of the environment, the provincial chief executive likewise asked the locals in Cayanga village to help preserve and protect the 20-hectare mountain which was earlier adopted by the provincial government as a reforestation area.

Since 2007 during the watch of former governor and now 5th district Representative Amado I. Espino, III, the OPAg produced 11 million pieces of tilapia fingerlings and dispersed about 17.5 million fingerlings (9 million sourced out from BFAR – Munoz, Nueva Ecija) to about 780 communal bodies of water in Pangasinan.

Moya said the total number of tilapia fingerlings seeded in communal bodies of water in the province had relatively contributed to the increase of about 875 metric tons of tilapia valued at around Php43.7 million.

“For fruit and forest tree seedlings, about 1.2 million were produced and planted in open spaces (public and private land) in the province,” Moya added.

Moya bared the project specifically aimed at increasing tilapia population in communal waters to eventually serve as breeders, and for fish capture of sustenance fishermen in localities; and to increase the production of trees to mitigate the impact of climate change.